9 min listen
The Papal Pornocracy
ratings:
Length:
25 minutes
Released:
Feb 24, 2018
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
(Nathan) When popes are elected today, the cardinals of the Catholic Church meet in secret conclave. But it wasn't always so. In the 9th through 11th centuries, control of the Chair of St. Peter was fiercely contested between several Roman families, who put their sons, brothers, and lovers on the papal throne. In this episode, we will look at the murders, depositions, adultery, illicit relationships, trials of papal cadavers, and debauched behavior that allegedly characterized this period, as well as the important role played by two Roman noblewomen--Theodora and Marozia Theophylacti--that led some 19th century German historians to label this as a "pornocracy."
Released:
Feb 24, 2018
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Zombies in Thietmar of Merseburg: (Lucy) Why did commoners and kings in eleventh-century Germany keep seeing dead people? Why did a bunch of animated corpses decide to burn a priest alive? And why did a busy bishop write all this down? by Footnoting History